A Guide to Choosing and Using MasoSine® Pumps in the Bakeries Sector

Phil Black - PII Editor 04/08/2016

281 4 minutes read

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With demand for fresh bakery products rising globally, bakers are seeking improvements in processing everything from dough and batter, to confectionery fillings and frostings.

Consumers demand first class appearance, an even spread of ingredients and product integrity. The pressure to deliver these requirements passes far down the manufacturing process to the pumps deployed for operations such as transfer and mixing. Here, increasing numbers of bakeries are turning to MasoSine SPS pumps from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group.

What are the most challenging applications?

Viscosities can register in the thousands, or even millions of centipoises Verso very specific pump capabilities are needed in bakery applications. For instance, custard and cream must be transferred without shearing or any change in viscosity. Similarly, batter must be pumped without thinning or aeration, as any change here may cause it to rise. Chocolate fondants and creams must be pumped gently without crystallisation or caramelisation, while the integrity of fruit in a batter mix is also important to avoid discolouring the batter and destroying the fruit.

Are there pumps that can handle such challenging media?

Absolutely! But, first you need to ensure correct pump selection. This is a decision that must involve additional considerations such as flow rate, system pressures, temperature, suction conditions and the size of any inclusion. The pump will need to be able to handle inclusions without blocking or causing any damage. At Watson-Marlow, we have teams of sector specialists who can help you to make the right selection.

What’s the solution to these challenging applications?

The superior suction – suction lift or flooded suction transfer – and viscous product handling capability of our MasoSine sinusoidal pumps enable bakeries to transfer batters, doughs, liquid sweeteners, fruit fillings, creams and frostings mixes and ingredients with ease and without degradation.

MasoSine pumps are designed to meet a range of requirements in the bakery sector that include low cost of ownership, reliability, ease of maintenance and conformity to recognised industry standards.

What about low shear handling?

One of the biggest issues faced by bakeries is how to deal with shear sensitive products such as batters, dough, creams and custards, which change their viscosity when moved. For bakery products, maintaining integrity is vital for quality, brand and reputation, and the use of a low shear pump is essential.

Sinusoidal pumps are widely regarded as being the best low shear option. The smooth, undulating contour of the unique MasoSine pump rotor transports confectionery blends through the pump whilst maintaining the product’s integrity, viscosity profile, texture, colouration and value – even at high flows. This gentle pumping action means

Improved batch consistency and final product quality
Virtually eliminated wastage of raw ingredients
No aeration and foaming during product transfer

What about transfer of fillings?

Pies present a challenge all of their own – but, with the right pump, the transfer of fillings is ‘as easy as pie’! Regardless of whether the pie is sweet or savoury, the fillings usually entail large pieces of fruit, meat or vegetables, for example, which need to stay intact when passing through the pump.

The transfer of such fillings – often involving high suction lift of the product from the mixing bowl to the depositor feed hopper – can be a significant challenge for bakeries. However, thanks to large pumping chambers within MasoSine pumps, product integrity can be preserved and maintained even for very fragile product such as soft fruit or pre-cooked meat.

What about viscosity?

The MasoSine SPS series and the latest Certa pumps offer capacity up to 99m³/hr and with pressures up to 15 bar and thanks to their heavy-duty construction. They can safely pump high viscosity products, while their innovative yet simple design allows economical in-line maintenance powerful suction up to 0.85 bar. Products with viscosities from 1 cP to 8million cP can be transferred with ease.

Are sinusoidal pumps easy to clean?

Ease and speed of changing from one product/recipe to another is vital to efficient operations. Unlike other pump types, MasoSine SPS models can be dismantled and cleaned, and ready to go again in minutes. No special skills or tools are required and the task can be completed by production line operatives rather than skilled maintenance engineers.

Certa TM is latest innovation from MasoSine, the creators of Sine® pump technology and sets even higher pumping standards in food processing.

Offering EHEDG (Type EL Class I) and 3A certification as standard, Certa is extremely easy to clean for minimal maintenance and downtime.

New MasoSine Certa pumps are cleaner than a lobe or circumferential piston pump

Superior cleanability
Pump CIP can be performed in less than 10 minutes – cutting production downtime for cleaning
All contact parts FDA and EG1935 compliant
Reduces chemical and water use and wastewater for disposal

Can energy bills be reduced by using MasoSine pumps?

Yes, in viscous handling duties, MasoSine pumps use up to 50% less energy for the same flow in comparison with other pump types. MasoSine sinusoidal pumps move the product gently through the pump from suction to discharge, therefore handling within the pump is minimal, irrespective of viscosity. To prove that our pumps are virtually unaffected by increasing viscosity, we have created a set of flow/viscosity versus energy requirement performance graphs known as Mee curves.

The Mee curves demonstrate that in viscous fluid applications, smaller motor drives requiring less power are required, in turn saving energy, so reducing your carbon dioxide output. Furthermore, energy savings contribute to a reduction in the total manufacturing costs of your product. A white paper on how Sine™ pumps benefit food and beverage plants is free to download from the website.

In summary

Sine pumps’ gentle pumping with virtually no pulsation, superior viscous handling, simplicity, reliability, energy efficiency, interchangeable parts and low cost of ownership all help food and beverage plants compete in a highly competitive marketplace.

Sine pumps at work

MasoSine pumps provide granola ingredient measurement at S. Moores

A company famed for its manufacture of traditional biscuits, is using three MasoSine pumps from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group to help it produce up to 80 tonnes of granola a week. Importantly, the introduction of ingredients into the blending and mixing process is controlled precisely by counting the revolutions of the pump shaft, a shrewd strategy that hasnegated investment in a dedicated weighing assembly.

Measured production

“The MasoSine that was previously deployed on our batch mixer was transferred to the new continuous mixer with the addition of a speed control for accurate blending,” explains Company Partner David Winship.“This allowed us to dose the warm oil-syrup blend into the mixer at theright rate. In effect, every revolution of the pump produces an identical volume of material. Hence, by controlling the speed, we can inject the precise amount of blend required.”